Las Vegas area’s ZIP codes more than just a number

Several of the Las Vegas Valley’s ZIP codes have holes in them or small “islands” a few blocks from the rest of the areas they cover.

“Las Vegas didn’t grow in nice even squares,” said David Rupert, a spokesman for the U.S. Postal Service. “There were gaps, especially back in the 1960s when ZIP codes were first assigned.”

When ZIP codes were shifted in 2006 and some were added to accommodate the valley’s growth, some residents were confused. Others complained they’d been stuck in a “bad” ZIP code known for something unsavory, such as higher crime rates.

“We use ZIP codes to sort mail,” Rupert said. “Other people attach things like personal identity and insurance rates on it, and that’s on them.”

ZIP codes also are used for defining marketing areas. Rupert noted that in much of Nevada, the codes were mostly assigned alphabetically, so in rural areas, communities with names that begin with the early letters of the alphabet have lower numbers.

Some ZIP codes in the valley are surrounded by another. In most cases, that’s caused by unique ZIP codes, in which all mail goes to the same company. Google Maps often marks these with a pin symbol, but in a few cases, Google includes several blocks bordered by a red line to indicate an area’s boundaries. as.

A study by real estate website PropertyShark found that the most expensive ZIP code for homes in the valley is 89158, but a Google search indicated it was a small area near Valley View Boulevard and Rancho Road, and it is mixed residential and commercial area that included a church, a preschool and a storage facility.

Rupert noted that the ZIP code wasn’t listed on the Postal Service website of Las Vegas-area ZIP codes, but some digging revealed that the area had been absorbed into 89108 and 89158 had been reassigned to a new area.

“Yes, 89158 is our ZIP code,” said Jessica Limprasert, a concierge at Mandarin Oriental, 3752 Las Vegas Blvd. South. “We were 89109 until construction finished, and then they gave us this ZIP code.”

Contact F. Andrew Taylor at ataylor@viewnews.com or 702-380-4532. Follow @FAndrewTPress on Twitter.